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4thFest fireworks light up sky

4thFest fireworks light up sky

Sgt. Robb, of the 439th Engineer Company out of Bellefonte, was one of several military personnel on hand with their vehicles at 4thFest, held on Penn State's University Park campus on Sunday, July 4. The military vehicle display was one of several activities set up during the afternoon to entertain the tens of thousands of people who come to see the third-best fireworks show in the nation.

The group Chosen performs on the Stadium West stage during 4thFest. The event, recognized by Fireworksguide.com as the third-best fireworks show in the nation, features lots of entertainment and plenty of activities from 4 p.m. up until the fireworks begin.

Chris Gladd, State College native and Penn State senior computer science major, borrowed his neighbor's grill to cook hot dogs for 4thFest. Gladd has been a volunteer griller for 11 years, starting when he was just 12 years old. He estimated that he and his fellow grill volunteers would be cooking between 4,000 and 5,000 hot dogs for the event. The hot dogs are given away for free, but donations of $1 per dog are suggested as a way to raise money for next year's fireworks show.

This little guy wandered just a little bit away from his family sitting on the grass nearby, to take in the scene before him during a very hot afternoon at 4thFest, held on Penn State's University Park campus on Sunday, July 4.

The signature event of the afternoon for this year's Star Spangled Spectacular was the delivery of a 7,000-square-foot flag by a skydiver from Team Fastrax. The skydiver jumped at about 5:45 p.m. and carried the flag to its designated landing spot outside Beaver Stadium to the cheers of the watching crowd.

About 15 minutes before the start of the fireworks show, pyrotechnics committee chair Gary Mahew, center, gave safety instructions to his crew. The volunteers then scattered into the field, with equipment to douse any fires that landing fireworks embers could spark in the field.

Members of the U.S. Army State College Recruiting Company salute the flag against a backdrop of fireworks as the National Anthem is played at the beginning of the Central PA 4thFest fireworks display on Sunday, July 4.

This shell was set off durng the tribute to State College Mayor Bill Welch, who died last September. Welch was an ardent supporter of 4thFest, so the show's organizers decided to dedicate this part of the show to him.

A giant light-up clock, the main feature of the ground-based fixtures of this year's display, is seen here showing the time of 9:32 p.m., the time which corresponds to the minute of the show in which it was lit. Designed and crafted by State College Area High School alumna volunteer Katie Salvaggio, the clock utilizes white rope lights masked off to form the clock face. The few hundred feet of rope lighting used for this feature was recycled from last year's show.

The grand finale of this year's 4thFest fireworks show featured 120 shells a second for 90 seconds, creating quite a sight-and-sound experience. While many of those shells did rise high enough for others to see, those in the VIP seating area were the only ones able to see the effects that exploded closer to the ground.